Hugh Laurie: don't mind me, I'm just grumpy because I'm Scottish

HOUSE star Hugh Laurie blames his "miserable" nature on his family's Scottish roots.

HOUSE star Hugh Laurie blames his "miserable" nature on his family's Scottish roots.

Hugh, 51, was born and bred in England but his family were proud of their ancestry north of the border.

And the star, who plays grumpy Dr Gregory House on US TV, told Glasgow-born chatshow host Craig Ferguson: "I'm very pessimistic. I hope you don't mind but I actually attribute this to my Scottish roots - dour.

"I definitely think that's where it's from."

Comic Craig, who presents The Late Late Show on US TV, agreed, saying: "Scottish people are terribly pessimistic.

"Whenever I tried to do anything in Scotland, I always thought people were thinking, 'You think you're great but you're not'.'"

"These people were my family," Craig joked.

He added: "I think the English are quite pessimistic too."

Hugh was born in Oxford and educated at Eton and Cambridge.

But his dad Ran and late mum Patricia were staunch members of their local Church of Scotland.